Run, Jack, Run
by rebekah5220
Summary: Jack sneaks out at night to attend a party at a warehouse, unaware that a ring-leader of a vicious gang with a personal grudge against Bobby, was going to be there as well.
1. Chapter 1

Jack Mercer jolted awake at three in the morning and sat up in bed. He wasn't exactly sure what had woken him up, but he was positive he heard something.

He flinched when, a second later, something softly hit his window. He pulled back his shade and squinted out into the night. Jensen Roberts, his best friend, was standing in front of his house, tossing pebbles at his bedroom window.

Jack opened his window and rolled his eyes at the boy, "What are you doing?" he hissed quietly so he wouldn't wake his brothers up.

"Jeez! I've been trying to get your attention for a good ten minutes now!" Jensen whispered back, but loud enough for him to hear.

"By throwing rocks at my window? Very original, Jensen." When his friend just shrugged, Jack continued, "So, what's going on?"

"There's a rockin' party goin' down at the Hood!" was the excited reply.

Jack gave him a long look and grinned, "Then what are we still doing here?"

"Now you're talking! So, let's get outta here, man."

Jack told him he'd be right back and left for a moment to slip on some clothes and his shoes. He then put his black, leather jacket on and climbed outside his bedroom window and onto the roof. Since it was only a ten foot drop to the snow-covered ground, he was able to make it down safely and without getting hurt.

"Come on," Jensen laughed and gave him a pat on the back, heading over to his convertible parked smartly down the street.

"Let's get this started!" Jack clapped his hands together once and got in the car.

Bobby lay awake in his bed, unable to sleep. He was flipping through some old photo albums that he had found in Evelyn's room and was studying the pictures of them all carefully.

He turned to a picture of him and his three brothers together one Christmas, standing in front of a brightly lit tree. They had their arms around each other, and Jack had his guitar that Evelyn had give him that year as a gift, leaning against his leg. Bobby smiled at the memory.

He was just about to flip the page, when a noise came from the room right next to him—Jack's room. A moment later, he could have sworn he heard voices outside. He strained to hear outside of his open window next to his bed, and was soon met with what sounded like a soft thump. _What the heck?_ He thought, throwing the covers back and slipping out of bed.

He walked softly down the hall until he got to Jack's door. Taking a deep breath, he slowly pushed it open, and let out a sigh with what he saw—an empty bed.

"Damn you, Jack!" he cursed, eyeing the open window and walking over to it just in time to see Jack and some guy run away from the house and start to head down the street.

He contemplated screaming at him out the window to get his ass back to the house, but didn't want to wake his brothers up. He let out a low growl and stalked swiftly back to his room._ Great_, he thought.

Now Bobby had to go out at 3 am to go retrieve his little brother who just couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. Who knows what he does with his friends! Probably a bunch of illegal shit, Bobby figured. He hurried and changed, and then ran downstairs, trying to make the least amount of noise possible. He went outside just in time to see Jack and another guy race down the street at a speed that had to be fifty miles above the legal speed limit.

Letting out another string of curses, he went to his own car and started it up, taking off after them. He decided to follow him to wherever it was he was headed and drag him back. He loved his baby brother too much to just let him run off and do whatever he wanted.

He tailed the car, making sure not to follow too close in case they would get suspicious. They drove for about fifteen minutes until they were out of town and approaching what looked like an old storage warehouse. About twenty cars were parked outside, teens sitting on top of some of them, other standing beside them.

Bobby could hear the loud, rock music coming from inside, even before he had pulled in and shut off his car. He frowned as he saw Jack and his friend practically run in, being handed beer by some other kids. He saw Jack being offered something he could only guess as drugs, and his heart lurched for a second. But Jack shook his head, mumbled something, and then took off inside, and Bobby gave a sigh of relief. At least the little fairy wasn't into that stuff again.

He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, trying to conceal his face. He sure as hell wasn't old, but he definitely couldn't pass as a late teen, that was for sure. He took a deep breath before entering the warehouse, and was not surprised by what he saw. He had been to enough parties when he was younger and knew exactly what went down at them—that was what worried him. Kids were grinding against each other on top of some crates on one side of the building, while a few others were snorting coke lines and having drinking contests.

He scanned the medium-sized building for Jack, but couldn't pick him out among all the other kids. He started to walk towards a kid that he thought looked like Jack, but he wasn't sure. However, a blonde girl jumped up on a crate in the middle of a group of boys and started dancing provocatively, peeling a few layers of her clothes off. Bobby stopped for a second and took in the sight. _Not half bad_, he couldn't help but smile, but then shook himself out of it. He was here to get Jack, and that was final. Mission: Bring the youngest Mercer boy back and beat the crap out of him for running off like that. Okay, so maybe not the last part, but Jack sure as hell was going to get a good lecture.

He once again thought he caught sight of his brother, and started weaving through the teens to the far end of the building, where he was talking with some other guys.

Bobby continued to walk across the room and came within ten feet of him when another body crashed into his, almost knocking the two of them down. He looked at the person that he had run into and was about to mumble an apology, when he caught sight of the other guy's face. It was a man—not a teen, but a man—and he had put his own hood over his face to conceal his identity, but his run-in with Bobby had forced it back, revealing who he was. Jack gasped softly. It was Antonio Bengalaz—ring-leader of the most well-known gang in the county. He was black, in his late twenties, and had eyes that almost looked black. He had the physique of a heavy-weight boxer, and was definitely not the type of guy you'd want to meet in a dark alley. Bobby had met him only once before—many years ago when Bobby was in a gang of his own and had battled with him over turf. Bengalaz had lost, but held a vendetta against Bobby and left him with a final threat of getting even one day. Now, years later, the cruel look that could be read in the man's eyes revealed that he still carried that grudge.

However, he just shot him a cold, almost satisfied smile, and glided past him, not even looking back.

This shocked Bobby. The man hated his guts…and he smiled at him. A shiver ran down his back and he rubbed his eyes with his hands. This was not turning out to be a good night. He thought of the cruel things he had done to people in the past—killing his own men if they so much as even talked back to him. Bengalaz was well known for his brutal raids, molestation, and his unmerciful torture methods he used on others. Thinking of these things, Bobby's heart jumped suddenly. "What the hell are you doing here?" he whispered out loud to himself.

He looked up and straight across from him and caught site of Jack, leaning against a wall. Jack was just finishing off a cigarette and hadn't noticed his older brother watching him yet. Bobby thought for a moment. Wherever Bengalaz was, there was bound to be trouble—and plenty of it. His heart started to race and just as he was about to rush over to his brother, a corner of the building exploded and erupted into flames. The music that was playing was drowned out by the terrified screams of the teens in the warehouse. Everyone had looks of confusion and fear on their faces as they ran for the exit, almost trampling Bobby in the process.

However, Bobby wasn't paying any attention to them. He had his eyes focused on Jack, who looked surprised and scared. He was flat against the wall, breathing hard, watching the flames spread and start to burn the building down.

"Jack!" Bobby screamed, but couldn't be heard with all the noise around him. He went to yell again, but was knocked down by a couple of kids. He growled in anger and got to his feet once again. This time, when he looked over once again, Jack's blue-green eyes met his own.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the two brothers stared at each other, as if speaking through their minds. Bobby saw something unreadable flash across Jack's eyes, but wasn't sure if it was a plea for help, or if it was sorrow.

"Jack!" he screamed again, "Come to me!" he tried to run to him, but was blocked by all the kids running in the opposite direction, trying to get out as the warehouse started to collapse in on itself.

He kept his eyes on Jack as he forcefully pushed the kids out of his way. However, a second later, he couldn't believe what his own eyes were seeing. Two black men had grabbed Jack and were putting a hood over his head. Bobby's heart leapt into his throat and he gasped, running even faster, however, not fast enough. Jack struggled viciously, letting out a yell that no one else either heard or paid attention to—everyone just kept leaving the building, too panicked to notice Jack being dragged out a back door that no one had even realized was there.

"No!" Bobby screamed, taking off after them. He reached the door only seconds after they had gone through it themselves, and saw them hit Jack over the head with the butt end of a pistol, and toss him into the back of a white van.

Bobby winced as his brother was hit and instantly regretted not bringing his gun with him. He would have shot these men to pieces for even laying their hands on his brother.

He was only ten feet from the car when it took off, tires screeching and racing down the road. Bobby slowed down and watched it disappear into the night. By the time he could have gotten to his car on the other end of the warehouse, it would have been gone.

"Why?!" Bobby screamed, finally coming to a halt and burying his head in his hands. "Why?!"

Brushing a tear away, Bobby hurriedly pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jerry's number. As he waited for an answer, he vowed to hunt down each and every person involved with the kidnapping of his brother—and slaughter them like the vicious animals they were.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here's the second chapter. It's half as long as the last one…but I'm working on it. **

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Chapter 2

Jack could barely breathe under the hood that was tightly covering his head and couldn't make out a single thing. He heard quiet voices talking inaudibly in front of him somewhere, but couldn't make out what they were saying.

He could hear a car running and knew they were driving fast by the way he was being jostled around. As they turned a tight corner, Jack was thrown against one side of the van, hitting his head and nearly blacking out. However, he managed to stay conscious. He went to pull his hands up but realized that both his feet and hands were bound.

His heart started racing and he yelled at the men that had taken him for them to let him go, even though he knew deep down that it wasn't going to work. His breathing increased as he felt someone come closer to him and tried his best to scoot away, but was unable to.

"Well, well," a low, almost raspy voice mumbled sinisterly, rather close to his face, "what have we here?"

Jack tried to kick out in the direction the voice was coming from, but was only rewarded a punch to his stomach for his efforts.

"You little punk!" The man exclaimed, "Just you wait till the boss gets a hold of you," he leaned even closer to Jack, and gripped one of his wrists painfully. "He's gonna eat you alive for what your brother did to him years ago."

Jack narrowed his eyebrows, even though no one could see. Brother? Which one? Bobby? Angel? Jerry? And for what? He had no idea what this guy was talking about. Right now, he just wished he had never listened to Jensen in the first place and had just stayed home where he belonged.

"Hey! Damian!" a different voice shouted coming from what Jack guessed was the driver's seat. "Leave the kid alone—we've got bigger problems."

"Such as?"

"Well, for one…Bobby obviously saw us take him from that party, and—"

The man near Jack snorted, "Ya think, Jake? He nearly caught up to us due to your tripping over your own feet every coupla seconds."

Jack's heart stopped beating for a second. _Bobby? What was he doing at the party? _

"Anyways," the other man continued, "if he saw our faces or license plate number, we could be in a mess of trouble. The last thing I want is for that psycho to come knocking on my door looking for trouble."

"Jake, you _invited_ that man to your door the moment you went after a Mercer."

"Not helping. We grab the kid, deliver him, and that's it—the end."

The van lurched again, sending Jack flying and Damian right on top of him.

"Watch the driving, man! You're gonna get us all killed!" Damian shouted, getting up.

Jack groaned as the weight got off of him, feeling as if someone had just hit him with a concrete slab.

"Shut up and get up here," Jake yelled, "The weather's getting bad."

Jack couldn't tell, but he guessed that it the snow had picked up, making the roads slick—and with the way this guy was driving, he wouldn't be surprised if they all didn't get in a car accident.

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Bobby sat around the dining room table with Jerry and Angel, nervously running a hand through his hair. The two, having being woken up in a panic, were just in their boxers. They each held a cup of coffee and listened intently to Bobby as he hurriedly explained the night's events. Who knows what they were doing to Jackie as they spoke. Hell, he could be dead for all they knew.

"So, what do we do now?" Jerry spoke up, after a moment of silence.

"We put bullets in the back of their heads!"Angel answered immediately. "These assholes must have forgotten that they're asking for death when they mess with a Mercer."

For a moment Jerry looked like he was going to reprimand him and offer a more logical and practical suggestion, however, he didn't, and the two of them looked towards their oldest brother.

"Well," Bobby said, in a too calm of a voice for comfort, "if they've forgotten, then I vote we remind them."

Angel gave a triumphant look.

"Now, are you sure it was Bengalaz at that party?" Jerry asked him.

"I'm positive," Bobby retorted. "He was definitely behind this. Bengalaz doesn't just go somewhere for kicks. He goes with a purpose—and a deadly one. I've known this guy for years. He's vicious, lethal, and has more power than the President himself."

The others nodded, knowing only too well of Bengalaz's grudge against their brother. He had made it perfectly known by his threat the last time they saw each other.

"But what could he possibly want with Jack?" Angel asked, more to himself than anyone else.

Bobby rubbed his hands over his face, "I don't know. But I'm going to go pay Bengalaz a little visit and find out."

"How do you know where he lives?"

Bobby looked at Jerry to answer his question, "He runs an underground union—basically a bunch of men in black that do whatever he pleases. Only two people know where it is—him…and me."

"How do you know?" Angel asked him, clearing wondering why and how his brother knew these things.

"I'm not gonna get into all that. Jackie could be lying somewhere dead, for all we know. Time is ticking."

Jerry let out a long, exasperated sigh. Just when things seemed to be going right…they somehow went south. "We're gonna need guns—big guns—and lots of 'em."


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here's the third chapter. I'm not 100% sure I like it…so let me know what ya'll think..**

Chapter 3

_Three years earlier_

Bobby Mercer slammed the butt of his pistol into the man's face, sending blood spurting and effectively knocking him out on the cold, concrete flooring of the old, abandoned hotel that Antonio Bengalaz considered his "hang out".

As the man fell to the ground, Bobby stepped over him and walked up the next flight of stairs and onto the second floor. Angel and Jerry were somewhere behind him, taking up the rear and making sure no one was following them.

The three of them were going after Bengalaz, once and for all. The thug had claimed and brutalized their neighborhood long enough. The three brothers had killed about fifteen of his men alone within the past ten minutes, and had managed to set fire to the small hotel, so that half of it was in flames already. After today though, people that resided in that small town in Detroit would be able to sleep peacefully in their beds and not have to worry about being robbed and then murdered in their sleep. They wouldn't have to worry about members of their families being taken out, beaten, raped, or worse. It would end now.

As Bobby was just about to turn a corner of the building and into a long hallway, littered with trash, he saw a shadow looming against the wall, illuminated from the moonlight that was streaming through a cracked window at the end of the corridor. He alerted Angel and Jerry, then cocked the pistol he held in his hands. Breathing in deeply, he slowly counted to three.

_"1…2…" _

On three, he ran out from behind the corner and, while sidestepping to the other end, repeatedly fired his gun. As he was moving, he could barely make out a body jump in surprise and start firing back. Bullets riddled the walls, wood splintered, and smoke started rising from the fire below, making it even more difficult to see in the already dark building. Bobby and Jerry covered him, shooting their own guns at the shadow.

After another loud burst from his pistol, Bobby heard a loud scream, and knew the bullet had made contact.

The three of them stopped firing and slowly approached the now dead body on the ground. It was a black man that looked to be in about his late thirties, covered in tattoos—he was obviously one of Antonio's personal body guards—that meant that Antonio himself couldn't be that far away.

Bobby didn't give the dead man a second look, but just kept heading to room number 122 where Bengalaz stayed. It was the nicest room in the whole hotel, considering the state it was in now, and was also the only room that wasn't littered with trash or other things just as disgusting.

When they reached room 122 at the very end of the hall, Bobby raised his hand to knock—only for the door to swing open before his hand was even on it.

"I've been waiting for you," they could hear Bengalaz's voice from somewhere inside, "What took you so long?"

Bobby could see one of his men only three feet away from them standing by the door and holding it open, with a cold, almost dead, staring look on his face. He took a cautious step inside, his eyes sweeping the room for the ring-leader of the well-known gang. The room was rather big, had a king-sized bed in the middle against the wall, and had two tables set up against a window in the very back of the room. On the right side of the room, racks of guns lined the wall from one end all the way to the other, all of them different kinds and probably even loaded; Bobby eyed them warily, thankful that Jack was home with Evelyn and that he had made the right decision in not telling him what they had planned. But even the guns weren't what caught his immediate attention. What made Bobby's heart stop was the dead body of a young boy in the middle of the room. He looked no older than seventeen, and had been beaten to a pulp. His eyes were staring endlessly ahead and were really the only things that could be seen on his blood-covered head.

Only one dim lamp was lit in the entire room, enlightening the body on the ground but leaving the other half in almost complete darkness, successfully concealing the gangster from view.

"Come out where I can see you, Bengalaz," Bobby demanded angrily.

"I hardly think you're in a position to be making demands," came the chilling reply from a dark corner of the room.

Bobby had to suppress a shiver. This man had a sound to his voice that would make even the bravest man's blood run cold. He chose to ignore the man's comment. Bobby wasn't called the Michigan Mauler for nothing; He would take down this man or die trying.

"Come out, you coward!" Bobby yelled.

There was an eerie silence after that, and Bobby could feel Angel and Jerry tense behind him.

Finally, after what seemed like hours to them, but was really only seconds, Bengalaz slipped into view. The man was wearing all black from the neck down, and in the partial darkness, only the white of his eyes could really be seen.

Bobby swallowed nervously and wondered why the man at the door hadn't moved, and why he and his brothers weren't flat on the floor, dead.

"Well?" Bengalaz spoke up, a mocking tone to his voice, "Are you here to kill me? Is that why you've killed almost all my men and have set fire to my hotel?" he almost laughed as he said those words.

"Something like that, I suppose," Jerry said. "We're sure as hell not gonna let you continue to ransack our town anymore though. But I guess the only way to stop you is with a bullet."

"You all could have joined me, you know," he retorted, his voice taking on a much more serious tone, "Under me, you could have all experienced the power, the satisfaction—"

"What kind of satisfaction comes from hurting and killing innocent people?" Angel interrupted him.

"The immense satisfaction of knowing everyone in town knows who you are, and what you can do. The power, money, fame…you could have had all of this, but instead," he took an almost annoyed step towards them, "you choose this." He sighed and, suddenly, his hand disappeared into his pocket and then reappeared a second later with a gun in it.

Angel and Jerry looked at Bobby, waiting for him to draw his own gun and kill the two men before them, but their oldest brother just stood there calmly, staring straight ahead.

The fire downstairs had now spread upstairs and smoke had now filled the room, making it difficult for the men to breathe.

Bengalaz pointed the gun and aimed it at Bobby's head. He smiled, his white teeth gleaming. "Lights out," he squeezed the trigger and the gun clicked.

Bobby shut his eyes, waiting for his body to be hit and then die. But nothing came. He looked up and realized with surprise and relief…that the gun had jammed.

Bengalaz looked at the gun in annoyance, and then went to fire it again, only to be met with Bobby pointing his own directly at him, while Angel had one trained on his man at the door.

Bobby smiled grimly, "Lights out."

The bullet ripped into Bengalaz's shoulder, jolting his body for a second and then sending him to the floor, while Angel shot the other man through the head, sending a spray of blood onto the wall behind him.

Bobby stared at Antonio, who was writhing on the floor and groaning in pain. He went to shoot him again—this time to put a bullet in his head, but the gun only clicked—empty. He cursed loudly and was about to smash his head in himself, when he heard the distinct sound of a fire engine arriving.

"Shit!" Angel exclaimed, "Someone musta seen the smoke."

"Come on, man," Jerry tugged on his arm, "We gotta get out of here."

Bobby shook his head, "No, I have to—"

"Leave him!" Angel shouted, "Let's roll!"

Antonio lifted his head from the floor, gazing at Bobby through his watering, pain-filled eyes. "I'm not going to die yet, Mercer. I'm going to live…just to spite you." He took a deep, shaky breath. His breathing was ragged and his voice became unsteady, "I'll even the score one day…I'm going to make you wish you had never been born. Just wait…just wait."

Bobby just sneered at him, not shooting him one last glance before he left the room. Maybe the animal would die from blood loss. At least that's what he hoped…but the Mercer's were never to be that lucky.

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PRESENT

Bobby forced himself to stop thinking about the past, but he couldn't help but feel as if this was his entire fault. If he had just left the man alone, Jack would be safe. But he had no idea that Bengalaz was still alive though. As far as Bobby knew, he had shot the man three years ago, and had disappeared in the rubble of the burnt building.

He shuddered when he thought of that man with Jack. Bengalaz was not known for his merciful attitude, and actually liked to inflict pain upon others. It made him feel more powerful…for people to fear him, hate him, and know about him.

However, Bobby just pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he drove with Angel and Jerry to the place that he thought Bengalaz might be. There was an old, desolate mine thirty miles out of town that no one had used in years. It was built back when the town first started and was closed due to a mass murder years ago. However, that was where a lot of gangs now hung out, because no sane person would ever go near that place. He wasn't sure that Bengalaz would be there, but it was a hunch.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Everything was going so well. Loud music was playing; kids were dancing…all in all, having a good time. He felt free and as if nothing could go wrong. _

_As he leaned against the wall, he scanned the room, taking in a few familiar faces that he knew from school. Since he usually kept to himself and wasn't much of a talker, he didn't have many friends aside from Jensen. As he looked around the room, he thought for one split second that he saw someone he knew. But then the person disappeared within the crowd and was lost, so he shrugged it off. _

_"Hey, man!" Jensen's voice rang out, suddenly right next to him, shaking him out of his reverie._

_Jack straightened up, "What's up?" _

_"Nothin' much, dude." He smiled slightly, "But hey, man, I got me some homies that really wanna meet you. So, they want you to stay right here, okay? They'll be by in a few."_

_"Why do they wanna meet me?"_

_Jensen shrugged, "I-I don't know. They said they have something really important to tell you. Look, just stay here, okay? Seriously, don't go anywhere." _

_He rolled his eyes, "Okay, okay."_

_Jensen gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Thanks, man. Thank you so much."_

_Jack narrowed his eyebrows curiously, "For what exactly?"_

_But his friend didn't answer, and instead, walked swiftly towards a group of friends, soon mingling in with the crowd. _

_Jack snorted. He really didn't understand that guy. He could be so weird sometimes. However, his mind wandered to Jensen's "homies" that wanted to meet him. What could they possibly want to tell him? He shrugged. I guess I'll find out._

_He went back to holding up the wall, when he felt the ground suddenly shake, and the right side of the warehouse explode, sending pieces of wood and other debris all over the place. Flames licked the ceiling and smoke filled the room, making it hard to breathe. _

_Everyone screamed bloody murder, drowning out the heavy metal music that was still surprisingly playing, and ran towards the exit at the front. _

_Jack, however, felt as if he was in a trance, and just stared at the rapidly spreading fire. He tried to take a step back, even run, but he couldn't seem to will his legs to move. How could everything be so perfect one minute, and then turn to hell the next? His breathing quickened to where he was almost hyperventilating, and he turned his eyes upon the congested, terrified crowd. As his eyes were darting back and forth, he caught sight of someone straight ahead of him, trying to push through the crowd. _

_"Bobby?" he whispered, under his breath. _

_He continued to stare, and after a minute, managed to catch his oldest brother's eye. Jack just stood there, a million questions running through his head. He looked up just in time and managed to sidestep a piece of metal that almost fell down at him. _

_When he looked back for Bobby, he was gone, making the teen even more confused. Was he seeing things? He didn't remember taking any drugs at the party and he was positive that no one had slipped him anything that he was unaware of._

_He started to tremble, and a look of fear passed over his face as he searched with his eyes for his brother. He was almost positive that he heard someone scream his name, but couldn't be sure over all the noise._

_He was about to walk forward and exit the building himself, when a hand suddenly snaked around his neck and over his mouth. _

_Jack jumped and tried to scream, but it came out muffled and unheard. He started to shake even harder, and tried to twist around and get a look at who had him, but was held firmly with another arm._

_Something was viciously pulled over his head, and Jack's eyes widened, scenes from his past entering his mind for a split second, and he struggled even more. He managed to bite the hand that was over his mouth, making the man let go for a moment and curse._

_"Bobby!" he screamed, from under the hood, realizing with increasing fear that no one could hear him, or was probably even paying any attention to him. Where was Jensen? He should have stayed with him. _

_He was dragged somewhere, but Jack couldn't see a thing amidst the darkness of whatever was over his face, constricting his breathing. He felt cold air hit his body, making him shiver, and realized with dread that he was outside._

_As he was dragged even faster, he heard the engine of a car, and was suddenly thrown up and onto something hard. He heard doors slam and men yelling._

_"Go, go!" someone shouted._

_Jack just closed his watering eyes, wishing he had never stepped foot outside his own home. _

Jack buried his face in his hands for the umpteenth time that night, trying once again to erase the images of that night's events out of his mind. They kept playing over and over again like a movie in his head, and making Jack even more nervous than he already was.

The van had come to a stop only twenty minutes later, and the back doors were opened.

Jack squinted in the darkness as two men yanked him out by his air, making him whimper in pain. He was tossed unceremoniously on the ground, and he quickly got to his feet and looked up to take in his surroundings.

There was a huge three-story house in front of him, surrounded by a metal fence on all sides. The place looked like a castle by the way it was designed. It looked old, but yet, still new. The moonlight cast some light on it, and Jack caught sight of movement in front of the gate and figured they were guards. Two Doberman pinchers were lying down in the huge yard, but yet still remained alert. The entire house looked dark inside except for one room at the very top, where a small light shone through the window.

Jack continued to stare, but was suddenly pushed forward harshly from behind, almost sending him to the ground once again.

"Move!" the man named Damian commanded harshly.

Jack glared at him for a second and then started to slowly walk forward, eying the two men at the gate—and more importantly…the guns they each held. He suppressed a groan and forced himself to keep walking, even though every instinct in his body told him to run for his life.

As they approached the gate, one of the men pointed their gun right behind Jack and directly at Damian.

"You're late," he sneered.

Jack noticed that he had a scar from his left eye all the way down across his nose and to his right cheek. He shuddered and went to take a step back, but a hard fist on his shoulder held him in his place.

Damian gave the man a condescending look, "I'll be damned if I have to explain myself to you. Now open this gate and stand back."

The man shifted uncomfortably for a second, and then muttered something inaudible, and the gate slowly started to slide open on its own.

Jack watched, eyes wide, and realized that the gate was being controlled from somewhere. He shut his eyes briefly. The place was like a fort—impenetrable.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do believe this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Hmmm…I almost split this into 2 chapters…but oh well…I'll just leave it as one. **

**By the way, I realize I've made some spelling errors in some of my previous chapters. However, I'm not quite sure how to edit them without taking the chapter out. **

**Also, thank you to tearsXsolitude for reviewing each chapter I post. :)**

**A big thank you also goes out to Hawaiichick, MagnusSpark, and vincents1lover. :)**

Chapter 5

Jack was led through the iron gates and forced to walk up the path towards the massive house. He dreaded to think what was inside those walls and shivered at the mere thought. He glanced back at Damian and gave him an almost pleading look, but it didn't work. He was only pushed harder towards the building.

As he walked up the concrete steps and over towards the double doors leading into the house, the two dogs lying in the yard growled and bared their teeth at him.

"Shut up!" Damian shouted at them, grabbing a rock off the ground at hurling it at them, "Mangy mutts!" Turning back, he knocked three times on one of the doors and were pulled open seconds later.

An older man with graying hair and a mustache stood off to the side, making way for them to pass. He looked extremely bored. "You're late, sir," he commented quietly.

Damien froze midstride. If one more person said that to him, heads would roll. He'd have enough trouble with the boss. He didn't need everyone else telling him what he already knew. Glaring sharply at the man, he cleared his throat and regained his composure.

Once inside, Jack looked around. There were two curving staircases, each along one side of the main room that led upstairs. Jack briefly wondered why they bothered having two when they both led to the same place. He shrugged to himself and let his eyes roam over the large main room. Various landscape pictures covered the gold-painted walls and the dark carpet on the floor looked new. Straight across from the main entrance to the house were French doors, but they were closed, so Jack couldn't see what was behind them. He didn't even really want to. He was surprised at the décor. He had half-expected it to resemble a dungeon.

A sharp jab in the back made him realize he had stopped walking to look around the room, "You always this testy?" Jack asked him sarcastically, as he was pushed along.

"Shut up and keep walking," Damian shot back, shoving him harder towards one of the staircases.

He just sighed and went up the stairs, dragging his feet as Damian guided him to the left and down a hall. As he took everything in, his breath hitched. The appearance had changed dramatically from the cozy feeling of the first floor. Almost everything was black. The walls were painted black, the carpet was a dark, sooty color, and there were no picture frames or pieces of furniture—nothing. Jack couldn't focus on a single thing. It was like a mind game…stepping from one place to another. He shot a look back at Damien, but the thug kept a straight face and seemed unfazed.

When they reached the end of the hall, they turned another corner and were met with another flight of stairs. Jack reluctantly climbed them, wondering if maybe this was like one of those fun houses you saw at carnivals—only this wasn't near as much fun.

"He was with what's-his-name…," Bobby snapped his fingers, pacing back and forth in their living room, trying to remember the name of the kid Jack always hung around with at school. "Jason? John? Jamie?"

"Jensen," Angel told him absently, sitting on the couch with Jerry and cleaning his gun. They had picked up their long-time friend, whose real name was Rick Sanchez, but went by Fox. He had been filled in about what happened to Jack, and had nearly had a heart attack. He had known Jackie since the kid had come to Evelyn's, and had instantly liked him. Fox was in his early twenties, had black hair that fell almost to his chin in some places, shaping his face. He had piercing blue eyes that seemed like they would look right through you. He was just a kid himself, not much older than Jack, so Bobby felt slightly guilty by dragging him into this shit, but they needed help—and Fox was really the only person they knew that either wasn't afraid of them or hated their guts.

"Do you really think Jackie's best friend had something to do with his kidnapping?" Fox asked, staring straight ahead and looking deep in thought.

"I dunno. But I plan on finding out." Bobby continued, "We have to go find this Jensen kid. Maybe he can tell us something. He was the only one around Jack at the party, and I saw the two of them talking right before Jack was kidnapped." He glanced at his watch. It was five in the morning—definitely early enough to make a house call. "Angel, do you have any idea where this kid lives?"

"I do," Jerry spoke up, "I dropped Jack off at his house one time. I can take us there."

The four made the short drive to where Jensen's—a small home only fifteen minutes away from their own. All the lights were off and the only sign of life was a small Pomeranian in the front yard, barking at a cat next door.

Jerry watched the house suspiciously, waiting for someone to shoot at them through the window. "I don't like it."

Angel rolled his eyes, "The house looks like something out of The Brady Bunch, and you don't like it. Let's just get this over with."

"Now no one is gonna pop this kid, right? I mean, he's just a teenager for crying out loud."

Bobby snorted, "Jack's just been kidnapped, probably being tortured right now as we speak, and you're worried about some other kid gettin' hurt!"

"Now, come on. Ya'll know that ain't true. I just don't think we should use unnecessary violence here, that's all."

"Well, violence or not," Bobby said darkly, "I'm tellin ya right now, if he knows anything about what happened to Jack, he's gonna talk—and talk fast. Otherwise, it won't be pretty—teenager or not."

Jerry just sighed in response. "So what's the plan?"

"We're wingin' it." Bobby replied with a grin.

Angel pushed open the door and stepped out of the car, "Let's go."

The three brothers slipped out of the car and crossed the street, glancing around them warily out of instinct. It was starting to rain, and it would only be a matter of minutes before that rain turned to snow.

Bobby pulled his jacket tighter around him and walked up to the door, ignoring the little dog that barked softly and jumped up on his leg. He felt the urge to give it a swift kick to stop it from barking, but didn't.

When the dog left him and moved to Fox, they all heard a soft squeal. He looked behind him to find Fox backing away from the dog, his eyes wide.

Angel chuckled, "You're kidding, right?" he stared pointedly at him.

"What?" Fox mumbled in embarrassment, "It has sharp teeth."

Bobby abruptly cut off the banter, reminding them to stay focused. He turned back and knocked loudly on the door, taking a deep breath. He could hear footsteps on the inside, and a moment later, the door opened a couple of inches. A woman peered out, eyeing the men warily.

"May I help you?" she asked, obviously slightly nervous of the fact that four men were at her door at five in the morning. Her red hair was ruffled and she was wearing a robe over her pajamas. They had obviously waked her up.

"Well, kind of, ma'am," Bobby tried to keep his voice level, and not just barge in, demanding answers, "Is Jensen home?"

The woman grew even more apprehensive, "Why? What is this about?"

"We just need to ask him a few questions about our brother," it was Angel who spoke up this time.

"Why don't you all come back later? He's still in bed and—"

"We'd like to talk to him…now," a dark look crossed over Bobby's face, and he clenched his fists, prepared to break down the door if deemed necessary.

She sighed, "Very well. One minute, let me wake him up."

"You do that," Jerry said, "we'll just wait right here."

The woman disappeared for a couple of minutes while the four of them waited. Several minutes later, she came back with a boy in tow. His dark, brown hair was disheveled and he was clad just in boxers, although he probably had been faking being asleep after what happened at the party.

_Clever_, Bobby thought dryly. He wondered why the kid would be back home and "sleeping," if his friend had disappeared and their party had gone up in flames—literally.

"What's going on?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

"Got something you wanna tell us, kid?" Angel cut right to the chase.

Jensen looked confused for a moment, but then realization dawned on his face. He swallowed nervously and his eyes darted quickly to his mom. He cleared his throat and then spoke. "Hey, mom, I'm gonna take this outside."

His mother just watched in confusion as he slipped outside with the Mercers and Fox, closing the door behind him.

"What do you guys want? Look, it was just a party—no big deal. I know we were out past curfew and all that, but do you have to rat me out to my mom?" he pleaded.

"We just wanna know where our brother is, you dickhead," Bobby growled out.

Jensen shot him a confused look, "What are you talkin' about, man?"

"Jack!" Bobby raised his voice even louder, "He snuck out of his window earlier and you drove with him to the party at the warehouse—I know all about it! Now, where is he?"

"What do you mean, 'where is he'?" Jensen gave him an incredulous look, "After the warehouse caught on fire, I got the hell outta there. I figured Jack just got a ride home from someone else. What's the big deal?"

"Well, guess what…he didn't."

"Why? What are you talking about?" he asked again.

"You tell me, you piece of shit!" Bobby grabbed him by the shoulders and pinned him against the door. "I know you had something to do with his kidnapping! You said something to him right before he was taken! Now tell me!" he screamed.

"Bobby…" Jerry spoke up, trying to calm his oldest brother down.

Jensen paled. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. K-kidnapped? Nah, man…I didn't do nothin'."

Bobby took a deep breath and released him. "Jack was taken by two men shortly after the warehouse caught fire. He was forced out the back. Now, if you know anything at all, I'd like you to tell me?" he asked him, but his eyes made it clear that it was a command, not a question.

Jensen started to shake his head. "We just drove to the party, were offered some stuff—but didn't take it," he hurried to add, "and then, well, he just didn't really do much. Some guys came up to me and asked me to have him stay near the back of the warehouse because they had some stuff they needed to talk to him about. I asked what it was, and they just said it was private…so I figured it was nothing. They offered me a hundred bucks to make sure he would stay there. So, that's what I did." He paled again at the look that came upon Bobby's face, and looked like he wanted to go hide under a rock.

"What did these men look like?" Angel demanded.

"Well, one of 'em was black, the other was white. I didn't really notice much about them except the white guy had a huge scar across his face—that's it. Look, I'm sorry, ok?" Jensen said, getting defensive, "I'm really sorry about Jack, I really am. But how was I supposed to know?"

Bobby ignored his apologies, "Did they ever mention names?"

Jensen thought for a minute, "I thought I heard one of the guys being called Damien, that's it though."

Bobby went to turn around, but instead swung his fist and hit Jensen.

He fell to the ground, groaning in pain and clutching his nose. He let out a string of curses, but didn't get back up. The last thing he wanted was to get in a fight with a Mercer.

Bobby let out a guttural growl of frustration and stalked back to the car, the others in tow. He slipped in the driver's seat and slammed his hands against the steering wheel. "This Damien guy must be one of Bengalaz's thugs—he has to be."

"Man!" Jerry exclaimed, "I thought for sure Antonio was dead years ago—why resurface now and start all this shit? He could have easily just left things alone."

Angel looked at him as if he had just grown two heads. "Are you serious? Have you ever known Bengalaz to just "leave things alone"?"

Jerry sighed, "So, how do we find him?"

Bobby frowned, "Well, like I said before, I have an idea. There was an old run-down mansion that's about thirty minutes outside of town. Back when we used to work together, he would always talk about it, saying about how he'd like to fix it up and live there one day. I bet you anything that's where he is."

"Wait…," Fox spoke up for the first time in a while, "You used to work with him?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…it's no big deal. I just used to pull little jobs for him—deliver drugs, collect payment—nothing half as bad as he makes his other little cronies do. But I finally came to my senses and cut out. He didn't take it too well." He snorted and shook his head.

"Well, there is one good thing about all this…,"Angel said, making the others give him shocked looks. He gave an evil smile, "We get to kill Bengalaz all over again—so to speak."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Fox said impatiently, "Drive, man, drive."


	6. Chapter 6

Well, here's the sixth chapter. Lemme know what ya'll think.

Thank you to bubbletea4me for your review. Although I'm not going to say anything about what happens…might spoil it. ;)

Also, thank you again to MagnusSpark and tearsXsolitude. You two have been very faithful in your reviews. Thank you. I've loved getting them.

Chapter 6

Jack stopped when he got on the third floor. There was a main room that had the longest table he'd ever seen, chairs all around it. The table was a dark brown and had a weird symbol carved dead in the center of it. Various types of weapons were tacked on the walls, including spears, swords, and knives.

Jack shook his head. Whoever lives here must be a nut job. He felt like he had gone back in time to the dark ages or something.

He was shaken out of his reverie by a black man approaching them. He tried to casually walk past them, but Damien stopped him.

"Where's the boss?"

The other man smirked, "Where he always is—you oughta know."

Damien stiffened, and then in one surprising move, kicked the man to the ground. When the man was lying on his stomach, Damien put one foot on his back, keeping him down. "I don't consider that a good answer," he growled. "Now, I'll ask again. Where is he?"

The man coughed and sputtered, "H-he's in his room."

"Thank you."

Damien released the man and gave Jack a hard shove to his left, making him walk past the main room and down a hall, passing other doors along the way. When they finally reached the last door at the end of the hall, Jack heard the two men behind him take deep breaths. Then Damien slowly turned the knob, opening the door. A small light was on, illuminating the rather large room. On one side of the room was a small mini bar, containing different kinds of alcohol. In one part of the room was a pool table, the balls and pool sticks strewn over the table. There was a large table in one corner of the room, while a large TV hung on the wall across from the bed.

At first, everything seemed empty. Then, upon looking closer, Jack saw a black man lying casually on a bed in the back of the room. The man, who looked slightly familiar, was stretched out indifferently, his mouth hanging open and snoring softly.

Jack heard Damien curse behind him, and turned around slightly to look at him.

"Okay, go wake him up, Jake." He ordered the other man beside him.

"Oh no," he snapped, "not me. Last time I disturbed him when he was sleeping, he gave me hell. _You_ do it."

Jack thought he heard Damien mumble something like "chicken" or "coward," but he wasn't sure.

"Fine," he muttered, walking slowly and cautiously over to the bed, as if he expected the man to wake up suddenly and attack him. He cleared his throat nervously and leaned down, laying his hand lightly on the sleeping man's shoulder. "Hey, boss?" he said, his voice cracking. He shook his shoulder this time and talked louder. "Hey, boss."

Nothing happened.

Damien shot a nervous glance back at Jake, while Jack just stood there smirking in amusement at his captor's discomfort. Damien glared at him and then turned back to the bed. He shook him much harder this time, "Hey!" he shouted.

Bengalaz shot up, gripped Damien's arm and flipped him over the bed in one move, making him crash into a nightstand and go sliding across the floor. The man then reached under his pillow and pulled out a gun, pointing it at his thug on the floor.

Damien groaned, putting a hand on his now sore back.

"Damien?" the man asked sleepily, rubbing his tired eyes, trying to clear them. "Is that you?"

"Yeah…"

"What are you doing on the floor? Get up. You're late." Bengalaz lowered the gun and turned around to face Jack and Jake, who were standing there, both eyeing the gun in his hand nervously. He looked Jack up and down, giving the youngest Mercer chills.

Damien slowly got to his feet, rubbing his sore muscles. "I got the boy, just like you asked."

Bengalaz nodded approvingly, "Well done. Did you have any trouble?"

"One of the Mercer's saw us take him, but don't worry, he didn't follow us or see our faces."

"What do you want with me?" Jack growled out, momentarily forgetting about the gun in the other man's hands.

Bengalaz's eyes flicked to his, expression unreadable. He slowly crept forward until he was inches away from him. He then raised his hand back and slapped him across the face, nearly sending him to the hard floor.

Jack touched his stinging cheek gently and forced his fear back, determined not to waver in front of this man.

"First rule," Bengalaz told him, "Never question me." When Jack just glared at him in return, he continued, "I must admit, I was quite surprised to see Bobby at that party. It was quite unexpected, but proved worthy, none-the-less. He's probably in a panic as we speak. Poor little Jackie…taken captive by his worst enemy—someone who he thought was dead. How lovely…don't you think?" he laughed manically, his perfectly white teeth showing.

"So, what would you like us to do, boss?" Damien asked quietly. "Lock the kid up?"

Bengalaz thought for a minute. "Yes, but get Trey up here and have him do it. I have things I'd like to discuss with you and Jake."

Damien disappeared for a second, leaving Jack and Jake to stand there awkwardly while Bengalaz went to the mini bar and poured himself a drink.

"I can't wait to see Bobby again—it'll be just like old times." Bengalaz said, taking a swig of his drink.

"You stay away from my brothers!" Jack growled, his eyes blazing. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing or why you've taken me, but if you dare hurt my family, I'll kill you!"

Bengalaz clenched his fists and looked like he was ready to charge the boy.

"That's a promise, you son of a bitch!" Jack finished with a defiant look clear on his face.

"Why, you…!" Bengalaz stalked towards him, his hand rose, poised to strike him again.

However, a deep voice spoke up, stopping the oncoming assault. "You needed me, boss?"

Everyone turned to find Damien and another man standing in the doorway. The man had black hair and green eyes, however, his eyes didn't look cruel like Bengalaz's or frustrated, like Damien's. Instead, his looked soft, relaxed. He was of medium build, but the black tee he had on didn't hide his muscular arms. His eyes flitted from Bengalaz and then widened when they got to Jack. An unreadable expression crossed his face, and he started to shake slightly.

Bengalaz grunted. "What is it?"

Trey regained his composure and straightened up, "Nothing, sir. Nothing at all." He stared at Jack, giving him an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Good. Now," he stepped forward and grabbed Jack by his hair, "I want you to take this brat and lock him up. Make sure he can't escape."

Jack hissed in pain from the hold Bengalaz had on his hair and had to resist the urge to kick him in the groin.

Trey gave Bengalaz a look that almost resembled a glare and stepped forward, taking Jack almost gently by the arm as Bengalaz released him. "I'll take him now."

Everyone watched them until they left the room, closing the door behind them. Jack followed Trey, not because he particularly wanted to be locked up, but because he just wanted to get away from the other men.

Although Trey didn't release Jack's arm, his hold wasn't painfully tight. He led him downstairs to the first floor and past the main room. Jack wasn't sure where he was going, and he sure didn't want to ask where. However, when they reached a door, and opened it to reveal a staircase leading to a dark room below, Jack knew it was a basement. He suddenly felt very cold and almost faint. He hated basements…attics…any dark room at anytime—especially one that he knew he was going to be locked in. His mind flew back to when he was living with one of his foster fathers that liked locking him in the basement, and then come down later and pretend to play hide and seek in the dark. Of course, Jack would always be found and then get the shit beat out of him. No, he couldn't be in one again. He wouldn't. He took a step back.

"Look, I'm sorry, but you have to go down there." Trey was somewhat glad he was the one who had to do this, for if any of the other men were, they would have thrown Jack down the stairs, probably breaking some bones in the process.

"N-no, I…," Jack trailed off, but knew he wasn't going to win. He started to shake even harder. Reluctantly, he went down two steps, just barely being enveloped in the darkness. His eyes filled with tears, despite his efforts to hold them back.

Trey sighed and went to close and lock the door, but stopped for a second, "I'm really sorry, Jack."

Jack went to make a sarcastic comment, but froze and looked back up at the man. "W-wait….how did you know my name was Jack? Bengalaz never told you my name."

Trey didn't say anything, just shot him a sympathetic look and closed the door.

Jack heard the lock click and once again, fear washed over him. The basement was pitch dark. He couldn't even see his hand if he held it in front of him. Instead of going down further into the room, he carefully sat down on the step he had been standing on a moment before. After a moment, he couldn't help it anymore, and broke down. Tears ran down his face, and he cried silently into his hands. For once, he was glad Bobby wasn't with him, so his brother couldn't see how weak he was being. If Bobby had been in his place, he probably would have kicked all of their asses by now and gotten away. Jack thought about looking for a way out of the basement, but knew that he wouldn't even be able to see a thing in the dark, let alone a way to escape.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so…here's the next chapter. I'm sorry it took me a lil while longer to update. I will try to update sooner…but yeah. **

**MagnusSpark: Hmmm….well, I'm not going to give anything away. You'll have to wait and see. ;)**

**tearsXsolitude: Why, thank you. I doubt that though. I think there are MUCH more skilled writers on here than me. Lol but thanks. **

**Bubbletea4me: Thank you, I will try to update sooner. My goal was every day or every other day…but sometimes things just get in the way. *sighs***

Chapter 7

Jack wrapped his arms around his shivering body and tried to stop crying. He mentally chided himself for acting so weak and willed the tears to stop. They hadn't even bothered to check his pockets and he suddenly wished he had thought to bring his cell phone with him to the party, or maybe even his pocket knife for protection. But no, the only thing he had in his pocket was a lighter. He quickly pulled it out and flicked it on, casting a small ray of light in front of him inside the dank basement.

Just as he was beginning to calm down, he heard a scraping sound below. He flinched, his entire body starting to shake in fear. He heard a noise again, only this time it sounded like someone was walking slowly and shuffling their feet.

Holding the lighter up, trying to see as much as he could with the small flame. He slowly crept down the stairs, determined to find out what was down there with him. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard the sound again, which seemed to be coming from his left, so he aimed the lighter that way and started walking.

"H-hello?" Jack called out softly, "Who's there?"

He could see a small stack of boxes against the wall, and an old table lying on its side in the corner. He took a step and screamed when something ran under his foot and across the dirt floor of the basement.

_It was just a mouse, Jack, just a mouse, _he thought to himself, taking a deep breath.

Regaining his composure, he kept walking, scanning the one side of the basement. He studied everything carefully, but saw no one. He sighed. Maybe he was hearing things. Or perhaps it was a mouse that made that noise…a very big mouse. Satisfied with that conclusion, he turned around to head back to the stairs. But as he turned around, the lighter in his hand illuminated a body only a few inches away from his own, and he jumped back.

He gasped and nearly tripped over his own feet. He dropped the lighter and darkness engulfed the room once again. Jack froze. He couldn't see a single thing and felt like he had suddenly gone blind. He felt the other person's presence though, and heard a single footstep. Instinctively, he took a step back. He could hear heavy breathing only a few feet in front of him and a chill ran up his spine. "Who the hell are you?" he managed to ask.

There was no answer, only the consistent sound of breathing.

Jack dropped to his knees and felt around on the ground for his lighter. As he finally touched the cold metal, his hand brushed against something. He touched it again and jumped back—it was a leg. "Who the hell are you?" he asked again, yelling this time.

He flicked his lighter on again and deliberately stuck it out, illuminating the other's face. He gasped again. A boy around his own age stared straight at him emotionlessly, his eyes so dark they looked black. His jet black hair clung to his face, and he was only wearing an extremely loose t-shirt and a baggy pair of pants. He looked tremendously malnourished and his hands trembled slightly, the only movement of his otherwise stock-still body.

Jack began to feel dizzy. He reached out to try and grab something for support as he began to waver. "Cliff?"

"Jack…" he whispered, so quietly it was almost unheard.

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Bobby pressed down on the accelerator harder as he drove his car furiously towards the place he swore he'd never go to again. Everyone had been completely silent so far, no one saying a single word. He glanced over at Fox, who was riding in the passenger seat, in annoyance as he tapped his fingers repeatedly on the window.

Fox began to whistle a tune, and sensing someone watching him, met Bobby's look. "What?" he asked innocently, putting his hands in his lap "No one is saying a thing and the ride's getting rather boring." He muttered matter-of-factly.

"Just shut up," Bobby retorted, trying to concentrate on his driving.

Fox sighed, "How do you even know Jack's gonna be at this so-called run-down place? I mean, for all we know, he could be hundreds of miles away from here by now."

Bobby's glare intensified and his face darkened, "You saying you wanna give up? Be my guest. Go ahead and get out of the damn car."

"Bobby, calm down," Jerry spoke calmly from the backseat.

"I'm not saying that," Fox replied, "I love Jack like a brother, you know that. I'm just saying you shouldn't expect too much. Not every person that's kidnapped is found." He added bitterly.

Bobby couldn't believe he was hearing this. He was about to snap when he thought about what Fox said again. "Is this about him?"

"Who?"

"You know who."

Now it was Fox's turn to glare. "Don't you dare bring my little brother into this."

"You're the one who—"

"Just don't!" Fox screamed, making Jerry and Angel jump slightly in the back.

Bobby, however, only blinked, not taking his eyes off of the road.

Fox leaned against the window, his forehead pressed against the cold glass. He thought back two years ago to when he had been waiting at the bus stop for his little brother one day after school. The two of them were supposed to ride the same bus home from school that day, but his brother never showed up. After waiting for thirty minutes, he asked every one of his teachers if they knew where he might be, only to find out that he hadn't attended any of his classes that day. He even tracked down Jack, his brother's best friend, to ask if he knew where he was. But of course, he didn't. When they had both gotten to school that one morning, they had separated to go their separate classes, so Fox figured maybe he had played hooky. But that proved untrue when his brother never came home that day…or the next. No one had seen him. It was like he had disappeared into thin air. His parents called the police, and even considered the ludicrous idea that maybe he had run away, but were never to find out. He was never found or heard from again…

He thought back to the last time he saw his little brother…

_Fox tripped Cliff playfully as they both climbed out of the bus, sending him sprawling onto the grass in front of the school, his books and papers flying everywhere. He chuckled and ruffled his brother's black hair. "See ya later, little man."_

_"Shut up." he retorted, smiling slightly._

_Fox just grinned in return and started to walk away towards a group of his friends. He shot one last look at his brother and watched him gather his things together and head to the building. When he looked at him one last time, Fox found him staring back at him, a smile still tugging at his lips. Fox just winked at him. He expected his brother to do something in return: smile, glare, even give him the finger maybe, but he didn't get any of those. He watched intently, his smile fading as he saw his brother's face contort in nervousness, staring at something over his shoulder. As Cliff's eyes widened and suddenly looked fearful, Fox whirled to see what he was staring at. But the only thing he saw was an unoccupied picnic table under a shaded tree. No one was even there. _

_Fox turned back in confusion, only to find his brother gone. He shrugged, figuring it was nothing, and hurried on over to his friends. "What's up, guys?" he greeted them, not giving anything a second thought. _

Fox shook his head, trying to erase the thoughts that plagued his mind every day. He had always wondered about that last look on Cliff's face. He didn't have any enemies at school so it wasn't a bully that had caused that look of pure fear that Fox could not seem to forget.

"Hey, Fox."

He couldn't think of a single person that would want to hurt his brother. He was liked by pretty much everybody but really only had a few close friends, Jack being one of them.

"Fox!"

Fox flinched and looked at Bobby, "I'm right here, no need to shout."

"You didn't answer me the first time. Are you okay? You looked like you were zoning out there for a minute." Bobby asked him, their previous little fight forgotten.

"Yeah," Fox breathed, "Yeah…"

Bobby gave him one last concerned look before turning his eyes back to the road. He knew full well what Fox had been thinking about—or rather, who he was thinking about. However, he couldn't blame him. Because of what happened to Cliff, Fox knew what it was like to lose a brother, so it made him want to find Jack even more.

After driving for ten more minutes, Bobby turned onto a back, dirt road. He had his bright lights on and was briefly surprised that he even still knew how to get to this place. No one knew what the old mansion had been or who had even lived in it in the past—all they knew was that it had been deserted for years.

"We're almost there," Bobby announced, fingering the gun in his jacket pocket. He decided to park their car a little way from the house so no one would see them. He wasn't positive anyone was even there, but he didn't want to take any chances—especially when it involved Jackie's life.


	8. Chapter 8

**So…here's another late chapter. I hope ya'll like it. I was going to wait until tomorrow to write it, but I decided not to wait.**

**Juniper294: Thank you very much for your review. I appreciate it. =) I'm glad you like it.**

**MagnusSpark: Your comment about the black hair cracked me up. Lol I kinda have an idea where this all goes…hopefully it won't turn out that bad. **

**tearsXsolitude: Thanks. =) I am trying my hardest not to get writers block and keep going. Lol **

**bubbletea4me: Well, there's one of my stories I haven't updated for a month. So, I'm trying to keep up with this one. Lol But I have read your story on your page…I really like it. :D **

Chapter 8

Jack pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned back against the cold, concrete wall of the basement. He looked at the spot next to him, where Cliff had conveniently taken a seat. "So, go over everything one more time. I'm having a hard time keeping track."

Cliff ran his hands through his hair and rested his chin in one hand. "Two years ago—that day at school—I was taken by a group of men. I was gagged and tied up, thrown inside a van, and taken here. End of story." He shifted a little, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"End of nothing, man!" Jack hissed, keeping his voice low. "You really expect me to believe that you were just kidnapped out of the blue? There had to be a reason!"

Cliff's hands started to tremble slightly, and he rubbed them together nervously. "I dunno, man."

"I think you do."

Cliff rubbed his eyes and then looked at Jack wearily, "About a week before I was taken, I-I started getting these weird messages." His voice cracked as he continued, "At first, they were just creepy messages on my cell phone such as, "I see you" or someone would tell me the exact thing I was doing at that moment, even when I thought I was alone. But then I started getting emails saying the same kind of stuff from an unknown sender."

"But why?"

"I don't know! I have spent the last two years of my life rethinking every little thing I could have done wrong."

"So, what happened after the messages?"

"Well, I kept thinking I saw people watching me. At first I thought it was my imagination playing tricks on me. But when I was at school that last day, I was positive I saw someone standing underneath a tree…just staring at me with this weird look on their face. Then…next I knew, I was being dragged behind the school building…you know the rest of the story."

Jack shook his head. It just didn't make sense. Why was Cliff still even alive after two years? He was definitely glad he was, but it just didn't add up. "What happened after you were brought here?"

"I was taken to see Damien Bengalaz—he's the head man around here. He asked me questions about my family…and you guys. Then, I was thrown down here. I'm allowed outside every once in awhile, but most of the time I'm kept in here." He seemed to feel Jack's frown, even though he was unable to see him in their cold prison. "It's ok though, I've gotten used to the dark."

A shiver ran up Jack's spine, and he shuddered. "This doesn't make sense, this doesn't make sense," Jack repeated over and over again. "Why kidnap you, do nothing but ask a bunch of questions, and then just keep you down here for two damn years?"

"I wish I knew," Cliff mumbled quietly. "I tried to get out over and over again—once, I nearly made it. But the dogs got to me and I was brought back. I was nearly beaten to death for that one, so I've never tried again." He added the last part hesitantly.

Jack closed his eyes and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. He couldn't even imagine staying in this dank basement for two years. He would have gone insane! He freaked out in the dark and felt claustrophobic. The little noises the rats made in various areas of the room didn't help at all. Frankly, he was shocked that Cliff even still recognized him after two years. But then again, neither one of them had changed much.

"Have you ever tried talking to someone around here to find out what exactly is going on?"

Cliff shrugged, "I tried once, but the only nice, decent guy around this place is Trey—but he doesn't know much. The boss kinda keeps him out of the loop." He sighed heavily and then turned to face Jack, "Hey, man, I'm sorry I freaked you out back there. When you called out, I had no idea who it was."

"It's ok," Jack muttered, "I understand." He thought back to when he was crying and he silently hoped Cliff hadn't heard him.

"So, now what?"

Jack would have smirked if the other could see it. "Now…we're getting out of here."

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Bobby crept forward and crouched behind a tree about fifty feet from the house. He could hear dogs barking in the distance, and then someone shout at them to shut up. To him, the house looked pretty much the same from the outside. However, there was now a stone wall surrounding the building, along with an iron gate at the front. Those were definitely new. His eyes caught sight of a white van parked around the side of the house, and instantly recognized it as the one Jack was taken in. Of course, white vans looked pretty much the same, but it was going to be a pretty big coincidence if it wasn't the same one.

He glanced back at Angel, who looked at Jerry, who in turn turned to Fox. He then gave them the signal to creep forward. They went off to the left, staying low.

When they reached the side of the house, Angel and Jerry lifted Bobby up so he could see over the fence. He vaguely heard Angel mutter something about his weight and was about to retort when a look from Jerry stopped him. He turned back towards the house and squinted in the darkness to try and see. He spotted two dogs in the yard while two men paced back and forth in front of the iron gate, obviously the guards. He scanned the rest of the area but couldn't see anybody else around. He gestured for his brothers to lower him to the ground, and they let him down gently.

"Okay, guys. There's a couple of dogs in there and two men—I think we can take 'em."

"Now just hold on a damn second." Jerry whispered, "We're not taking anybody just yet. Ya'll ain't gonna just run in there and start shooting up the place. Let's think about this for a second. I mean, we don't even know if Jack's in there."

"He is, Jerry. I know he is." Bobby replied firmly. _I know it._


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay…so…here's another chapter. I have already outlined a few things (which is kinda strange because I usually never outline…just sit down and type). But yeah…if you guys have any ideas..feel free to let me know. ******

**MagnusSpark: Vampire…hahaha!! That would be funny! And you're doing a pretty good job so far when it comes to cracking me up. Lol **

**tearsXsolitude: You're welcome. ******** I figure if you guys take the time to review, the least I can do is respond and mention you guys. Thanks again!**

**But…now for some rather sad news…or whatever you make it out to be. Lol NO, I am not abandoning this story by any means…I already have a ton of ideas and know how its gonna end, etc (not sure how long I should drag it out though). However, I am soon going on vacation in approximately 6 days to AZ (my nephew is being born! eep!)…I will be gone for five weeks! So…I don't think I'm going to get a lot of writing done. They don't really like me to spend a lot of time on the computer when I'm down there. Argh! But yeah….please be patient. Also my sincerest apologies for the really long A/N! Thank you! =) **

Chapter 10

Trey looked over at Bengalaz as the thug cleaned one of his guns. He looked him square in the eye. "What is it you want with that kid?"

Bengalaz momentarily stopped what he was doing. He hated being questioned. However, he let it slide this once. "That's none of your concern."

"Actually, it is. You took Cliff two years ago…and now Jack. I want to know why."

This time Bengalaz froze and looked up, an icy look on his face that would make any man's blood turn cold. "That's interesting…," his voice was creepily low and dull, "I never told you his name was Jack."

Trey fidgeted, "_He_ told me…as I was locking him up," he lied. "I'm just curious as to what you want."

Bengalaz smiled, his white teeth showing, "I want his blood."

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Jack ran his hands over the compacted dirt floor and sighed. He was getting restless and desperately wanted to know how much longer he would be kept prisoner. He tried not to dwell on the fact that Cliff had been forced to stay for years. That wouldn't happen to him. He'd die first. He fidgeted and glanced over at Cliff, who was not making a single sound next to him. If Jack didn't know better, he wouldn't even think he was there.

"I can't just stay down here!" Jack burst out suddenly. "I've got to find a way out somehow." He climbed to his feet.

"Don't waste your time," Cliff told him, getting to his feet as well, "I've tried about a hundred times. There isn't a single window in this whole basement and the door is obviously locked. There's no way out."

"There's always a way out," Jack muttered.

He heard Cliff sigh and then say, "Well, there is one way, but it's risky."

"What? Where?"

"We have to—"

The sound of the door creaking open silenced both boys; Jack heard Cliff take a few steps back until he was against the wall.

"Boys?" a faint voice called out softly, as if it was afraid to be heard by anyone other than them.

Cliff gave a relieved sound and patted Jack on the shoulder. "It's ok. It's only Trey." He called back to him softly.

Jack nodded, even though he knew it wasn't seen. He remembered Trey…the sympathetic-looking man that was forced to lock him up. He briefly wondered why the man was calling them—more like whispering to them.

A small ray of light poured into the room from the crack where the door was open, however not enough for them to see that much.

They heard footsteps descend down the stairs and then stop. Cliff walked up to the man and Jack was shocked to faintly see them give each other a hug. When they pulled back, he sent them both a questioning glance.

"Are you two…together?" Jack mumbled, instantly regretting his question.

Cliff's face contorted into one of confusion, then shock, then humor. "What? Together? Ew! No!" he said so quickly that Jack barely understood it. He walked back over to him and said in a lower voice, "Trey is the only person around here who has been kind to me. He never hurt me like the others. He's saved my life more times than I can count. I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for him."

That was enough for Jack. He nodded and shot Trey a slightly grateful but confused look.

As Cliff walked back over to him, the two conversed quietly while Jack strained to listen. He saw Trey say something, and then Cliff tense. The two appeared to be having an emotional, yet intense, conversation.

"No! Don't you dare!" Trey suddenly snapped, louder than he originally intended, and making Cliff jump slightly. He sighed and lowered his voice again. "I'm sorry, I just—"

Jack couldn't hear the rest of the sentence because Trey lowered his voice again. He wondered what the two of them were hiding. They obviously didn't want Jack to hear what they were talking about, and it was working for the most part, much to his irritation.

Finally, Jack saw Cliff nod his head reluctantly, and then Trey put his hand on his shoulder. The two walked back over to Jack, solemn looks on their faces.

"You two—"

A loud noise from upstairs caught their attention, and Trey's face suddenly looked panicked. He gripped Jack's arm tightly and lowered his voice even more. "Listen to me…you two are running out of time. You both need to get out of here—and fast."

Jack's breathing increased, "What are you talking—"he stopped when the cold metal of a derringer was pushed into his hand.

"Take this—use it only if you have to." Trey whispered, his voice shaking.

"What's going on?" Jack demanded.

Trey didn't reply and Jack noticed that Cliff was trembling. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse.

"They're coming," Cliff mumbled, his voice sounding almost like a whimper.

"Who?"

Jack's question was answered a burly man appeared at the bottom of the stairs. They hadn't even heard him come down. The man was huge, had muscles the size of someone's head, and was smoking a cigarette with a casual, relaxed look on his face.

"Well, well, well," the man drawled, "what have we here? The boss ain't gonna be happy you're down here, Trey."

Trey just glared back at him.

"And you," he looked at Cliff, who shrank back, "you know better than to talk to him. Why can you never do as you're told?" he asked, sounding like a parent rebuking a child. He crept forward until he was inches away from the teenager. He put his cigarette in one hand, and used the other to backhand him with enough force that it sent Cliff to the ground.

Jack let out a growl and lunged at the man, knowing full well he didn't stand a chance. He punched the man in the mouth, watching with a dreadful look as the burly thug didn't even stumble backwards. Instead, the man brought a hand to his lip, where a dot of blood was now seeping and starting to trickle down his chin. He made an animalistic sound and grabbed Jack by his hair, bending him backwards.

"Kids like you…," the man whispered in his ear, "you're all the same. I think you need to be taught a lesson in manners, boy." With that, he brought the cigarette he had been holding in his other hand to Jack's face and pressed the red, burning tip to Jack's exposed neck.

Jack screamed in agony as his flesh was burning and tried to push the man's arm away, but to no avail.

"No!" Trey yelled, with a furious look on his face, "Leave him alone!"

A second later, a loud gunshot rang out, echoing in the dank basement. Jack was dropped to the ground alongside Cliff, while the man that had been holding him only a second before, clutched his now bleeding chest. He faltered on his feet for a few seconds before collapsing on the floor, dead.

Trey put his gun back in his jacket pocket and reached down to the boys. Jack had tears in his eyes and was struggling to keep them at bay. Trey gently touched the tender skin on his neck but pulled away when Jack flinched in pain.

"Are you okay?" Cliff asked, helping Jack up.

"Y-yeah," came the shaky reply, "I'm fine."

"You better get outta here, guys," Trey told them, "That gunshot will have every guard down here within a matter of seconds."

Cliff froze and looked at him, "Y-you're not coming?"

Trey ignored the question. "I'll tell them I found him dead," he indicated the man on the floor, "and you guys gone when I got here."

The boys hesitated.

"Go!" Trey almost yelled, when he heard men yelling in the distance.

"Come on," Jack urged, taking Cliff by the hand and practically dragging him up the stairs. When they reached the door, they were practically blinded by the light of the main room.

Jack looked around frantically for a place for the two of them to hide. Straight ahead was the staircase leading to the second floor, there was another set of doors to his right, and the main doors leading outside to his left. He knew they couldn't go outside due to the guards and the dogs, and he had no idea what was behind the doors on his right. Without giving it a second thought, he ran up the stairs with Cliff in tow, going the exact opposite way of the exit. He fully intended to ask Cliff what he had talked about so secretly with Trey, but decided to wait until they were in a safe place.

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Once the four of them had gotten over the wall, Bobby spotted an open window on the second floor and made a beeline for it. He gestured to Angel and his brother immediately hoisted him up by the leg. Bobby reached out and grasped the windowsill, using all of the strength he had, to pull himself up and into a dark room. He then reached back down and grabbed Jeremiah, bringing him up as well. When the two of them outstretched their hands to help their younger brother up, Angel accidentally kicked the side of the house with his foot, making a loud scraping noise on the wall.

Everyone froze as the dogs in the yard got to their feet and started to growl.

"Hurry, man!" Angel hissed, as they resumed their task of getting him inside.

By now, the dogs had spotted them and were now barking, baring their teeth. Just as Angel got inside, they took off at a run.

Fox's eyes widened and he started hyperventilating. "Dogs!" he yelled. "Bobby!"

"Give me your hand!" Bobby shouted back, reaching out his hand for the younger boy.

Fox didn't respond. His body had frozen and he seemed rigid. He was just staring as the dogs got closer and closer—now about fifty feet away. By now the guards were also alerted, shouting and shooting at them.

"Fox!" Bobby yelled again.

Shaking out of his reverie, Fox turned to Bobby and took his hand. As they started to hoist him up, one of the dogs reached him and bit into his leg, trying to get him back down. Fox screamed while Bobby tried to get him up faster. Bullets started whizzing past him, and one grazed his side, making Fox jolt and yell again. His body went slightly limp, and Bobby had to grab onto him even harder so he wouldn't fall down.

With all three of the boys tugging and pulling, they managed to get him through the window. Bobby laid him down and lifted his shirt up hurriedly, inspecting the area where the bullet hit him. Thankfully, it had only grazed him; however, it was still bleeding openly.

Bobby quickly ripped his shirt off, revealing a white tank top underneath, and wrapped it around Fox's waist. "Hey, man, are you okay?" he knew it was a dumb question, but felt he had to ask anyway.

Fox groaned and put a hand to his side, "I'm okay, I think. It doesn't look too bad. I hate dogs!" He squinted at the wound.

"Come on," Bobby said, helping him up.

"By now this whole place is gonna be all over us," Angel muttered.

"It's your damn fault," Bobby growled back, earning a glare from everyone.

"Let's just get outta here," Fox grumbled.


	10. Chapter 10

**Well guys...I'm baaack! :) No more vacations for awhile. Soo...I realize this chapter is short and I'm sorry...but I'm still working on a few things. Anyways...thank you to everyone to favorited and reviewed my story. :) Anyways...here it is. **

Chapter 10

Bobby helped Fox along next to him as he hurried out of the room they had snuck into, his brothers not far behind him. When he got to the main room, his eyes darted to the stairs and he immediately headed for them.

Fox groaned at the pain in his side as he climbed the stairs one by one as fast as he could. Even with Bobby helping him along, he still felt a dull, throbbing pain in his side that intensified with each step he took.

Just as they reached the top and ran into the room off to the right, men rushed in through the front door.

"Where did they go?" they heard one man shout.

"Upstairs!" another replied loudly, and a moment later footsteps were heard running up onto the second floor.

Bobby looked around the room they were now in. There was a huge long table in the middle of the room and he quickly gestured for them all to get under it, hoping all the chairs around it would hide them from sight.

Just as they managed to get under the table, the doors burst open and the boys counted six pairs of feet.

Bobby tried to calm down, thinking that if he even breathed too hard they might hear it. He watched anxiously as he saw the men walk around the table, listening for any sign of something suspicious. One of them stopped right next to him, and Bobby heard Fox gasp softly. He quickly put a hand over Fox's mouth, hoping the man hadn't heard.

"What was that?"

A man laughed, "Maybe your mind is playing tricks on you."

"Whatever, man. Come on, I don't think they came in here."

The men walked away and soon left the room, the sound of their footsteps slowly fading; Bobby gave it a minute before he sighed in relief and slowly emerged out from under the table.

"That was close," Angel mumbled quietly, and Jerry nodded, his eyes wide.

Bobby glanced at Fox and noticed he was leaning heavily against the table, breathing hard. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. He noticed the sweat dripping off of the young man's face, and the way his eyes looked glazed over. He put an arm on his shoulder and then felt his forehead. "You're burning up," he said.

Fox coughed once, "I'm fine."

"Let's just find Jack and get the hell outta here," he shot Bobby a pleading look.

"Hey, guys!" Jerry hissed at them, peering out of the room and around the corner. Once he was sure no one was in sight, he beckoned for the others. "Let's go."

Bobby wrapped an arm around Fox and half-carried him out of the room, Jerry and Angel a few steps in front of them. They proceeded to go down one of the halls, and the four of them stared incredulously at the black paint on the walls and the way it was designed all-together.

"Weird." Angel muttered.

"Yeah, this place gives me the creeps," Bobby added sourly.

When they reached the door at the very end of the hall, Jerry tried opening it, only to find that it was locked from the inside. He gave it a few hard shoves, but it didn't budge.

Bobby frowned at him, "Back up, city-boy. These things take a certain touch." And with that, he gently let go of Fox, making sure that he could stand first, and took a few steps back. He was determined to search every inch of that place to find his brother, no matter what.

The next second, he was a blur as he dashed past them and slammed into the door, leaving it in a heap of broken wood and splinters on the ground. After composing himself, he shrugged and gave them all a smug look. "And that's how it's done, ladies."

However, before any of them could respond to the comment, shouting voices could be heard in the distance, indicating that they had been heard.

"Move it, guys," Bobby ordered. He noticed Fox was struggling to remain standing and took his arm to try and help him stay on his feet as they shuffled into the dark room.

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Jack and Cliff darted into the room at the very end of the main hall, closing the door behind them and sliding the lock into place. They were both practically hyperventilating, and their foreheads shined with sweat from running so hard for so long.

Cliff looked around the room, squinting in the darkness. He couldn't see much. There was a single window in the back, where moonlight was shining through, but that was about it. The room was almost completely bare, except for a few crates in one corner. "Come on," he said, leading Jack behind them and sank to his knees.

"I don't think staying in here is such a good idea. We're basically trapped if anyone comes in here." Jack hissed at him quietly.

"There's a small window over there…maybe we can get out through it."

Cliff shook his head. "It might be too high—and even if it wasn't, this place has got to be crawling with guards by now."

"We can't just stay here!" Jack exclaimed.

"We can't leave."

"We're dead if we stay." Jack practically whispered.

Cliff just shook his head at him, mumbling something incoherent.

"What?"

"You have absolutely NO idea who you're dealing with here, do you? The man who runs this place is evil—he designed this place so that once you were in…there was no way out except for the main entrance. I've heard things…listened in on some of the guards' conversations….horror stories, I should say. I saw another kid around my age gutted from the inside out for trying to escape. I could hear his screams all the way from the basement."

Jack practically had to cover his mouth to stop the bile from rising in his throat. "Why don't you start explaining a few other things to me, while you seem to be in a talking mood—like why you and Trey are so close, among other things?"

"You don't want me to tell you."

"Yes, I do!"

"Well, I can't. He made me swear to never say a word…and I am going to keep my promise to him—I'll take it with me to the grave unless he tells me I can do otherwise."

Jack shot him a look, "Well, careful…you just might end up doing that."


	11. Chapter 11

Bobby was almost positive he heard a noise in the dark, empty room. He blinked furiously, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the dark faster. He heard a scuffle of feet in a corner of the room and his body went rigid. _There it was again._ He beckoned for the others to be quiet, and soon the only sound in the room was Fox wheezing heavily.

With careful, quiet footsteps, Bobby edged to one side of the room, silently creeping up on whoever or whatever was behind the crates in the corner. He was just about to peer behind them, his body poised to attack, when suddenly the room was flooded with light.

Everyone jumped as three armed men filled the room, one of them being Bengalaz.

Bobby's eyes grew wide as he came face to face with his arch enemy. The man hadn't changed at all. He still looked the same…still had that icy, blood-chilling gaze in his eyes.

"Well, well, well…," he drawled in a mockingly sweet tone, "What have we here? You boys sure gave us the slip for quite some time. But it's all over now."

"Where's my brother, you bastard?" Bobby hissed. A second after he uttered those words, he could have sworn he heard a small gasp from behind the crates in the corner.

All eyes suddenly turned as another one of Bengalaz's thugs entered the room, dragging with him a battered Trey.

"Ah, wonderful," Bengalaz continued, "Together at last."

"You will never get away with what you have done," Trey growled out, bending over and coughing slightly. His lip was cracked and bleeding and bruises were forming on his face. Blood trickled down one side of his face, and it was obvious that he might have a rib or two broken from the way he was bent over and the sound of his unsteady breathing. "I am only sorry I have stayed here as long as I have. You deserve to be slaughtered and given to the dogs."

"Now, now, Trey…I have very, very good reasons for the things I have done."

"Such as?" Angel demanded, not even flinching when Bengalaz tightened his hold on his pistol and raised it an inch.

"Such as…you." His gaze flickered towards Bobby. "I wanted you…and I knew taking Jack would bring you right to me. A few years ago, you tried to kill me…take everything from me. I wanted you to know how it felt to have everything ripped from you. Your family…your friends…and finally…your life." He aimed the gun at Bobby and cocked it, ready to shoot.

Bobby shut his eyes, waiting for the end to come. When that bullet would penetrate his skin and burn it, putting a hole in his body and eventually killing him. However, he opened his eyes when nothing happened.

He heard a faint but strong "No!" come from somewhere behind him, and whirled to find himself staring face to face with Jack. A dark-haired boy came up from behind him, his eyes wide.

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Jack listened from behind the crate, barely breathing as Bengalaz told Bobby of his plans to kill him. He wanted nothing more than to hide from that evil man and wait till they all left before coming out of his hiding place. However, he would rather die than lose any of his brothers, especially Bobby. And so, he jumped out from behind the crate without even thinking, just intent upon stopping the bullet aimed at his brother's heart.

"No! Please!" he begged. He felt Cliff come up behind him and lay a reassuring hand on his back.

Bengalaz's eyes changed from cold to surprised, "Jack…so nice of you to join us; and Cliff too…such a nice family reunion."

At the mention of his long-lost brother's name, Fox turned his half-lidded eyes that were dull with fatigue and pain, to the now young man standing next to Jack. He couldn't believe it at first, and wondered slightly if perhaps he was delirious from blood loss, and this was all just a dream.

Cliff gasped and took an involuntary step forward. He whispered "Fox" under his breath and his eyes flicked from his older brother and then to the gun Bengalaz was still holding. He couldn't believe it. Tears sprang to his eyes and he fought to keep them at bay. For the first time in years, he actually felt close to freedom and safety.

Everyone just looked at each other. Bobby assessed Jack, anger flashing across his face at the wounds on his face and neck. Both boys were extremely pale and looked like they were about to fall over at any second.

"Oh, such a precious moment," Bengalaz spoke up, watching their reactions with slight amusement as he ambled over to Jack and Cliff, keeping his gun trained on Bobby as everyone in the room watched his every move.

Bobby tensed up as he saw Jack noticeably flinch before Bengalaz grabbed him roughly by the arm. "Let him go, Antonio. Let them both go. Your fight is with me, not with them."

"Oh, I don't think so. You see..that day we took Cliff from school two years ago, it was supposed to be Jack. Only, the idiot I sent after him got the wrong boy. Lucky for Jack, not so lucky for him." He pointed at Cliff. "I wanted to kill him, tear him from the inside out just for fun…but Trey over there…" he now beckoned at the other man, staring maliciously at him, only a hint of nervousness on his features. "practically begged for me to keep him alive. So, I did. He served as entertainment for me and my men as I continued plotting my next movie on Jackie-boy here." He grabbed his hair roughly and pointed the gun under his chin. He pressed it even harder when Bobby made a move forward, stopping him in his tracks as he gave him a look, "Ah, ah, ah…let's not be hasty now."

"You son of a bitch," Fox muttered, sounding more dead than alive.

"Now let's not be too upset here. After all, I only want Bobby…but I'm rethinking the situation here. Now that you all know about my little setup here…I think I just might have to kill you all—starting with little Jackie here."

"Touch my son and you die!" Trey screamed.

All eyes turned to him, each set wide with surprise. Bengalaz was the first to compose himself. "This is working out better than I thought."

"W-what?" Jack mumbled, his throat tight and strained from the gun pressed against him so hard.

"What?" Bobby repeated after him, echoing his surprise.

"I wanted to tell you, Jack," Cliff mumbled, taking a step closer to his friend. "But he made me swear not to."

"How did you know who I was?" Jack asked him, tears filling his eyes…but why…he wasn't sure.

Trey sighed, momentarily forgetting about the gun on his only son. "I was the one originally assigned to kidnap you. Bengalaz had me watch you for years…tracking your every move. But it wasn't until a year ago that I managed to actually figure out who you were. I hadn't seen you since you were very young and your last name had changed. But after a little digging, I managed to figure it out." His voice was constricted with emotion.

"Wow…," Jerry whispered, and Angel just nodded.

Bobby, meanwhile, just stared at them back and forth.

Jack tried desperately to keep the tears from falling down his face. So many questions needed to be answered, so many years needed to be made up for.

"Well, if we're done here," Bengalaz said in a much angrier voice now, "I'd like you all to line up against the wall." When no one moved, his expression only got angrier. "NOW!" he screamed, giving Jack a good yank by his hair for good measure, making him whimper slightly in pain.

Everyone reluctantly moved to one side of the wall, while Bengalaz's thugs kept their guns trained on them. Fox looked longingly at Cliff, who avoided his gaze.

"Well, this has been fun everyone. You've all made my day very interesting. Sadly though, like all things…it must come to an end." He then pointed his gun straight at Bobby. "It was truly a pleasure." He licked his lips and smiled, "Goodbye."

Just as his finger squeezed the trigger, Jack kicked his arm up, knocking his hand up and sending the bullet into the ceiling. He then struggled to get out of his strong hold.

Bobby took his chance and lunged at the man, hitting him to the ground and fighting to get him away from his brother. "Let him go now!" he yelled at him, sending a punch to his face.

The rest of Bengalaz's men kept their guns trained on the other men, making sure they didn't move, while Bobby and Bengalaz fought it out.

Bobby finally managed to make him release Jack, only to be punched square in the face. He stumbled back and fell on the floor, rubbing his sore jaw. Bengalaz took the chance to get to his feet and grabbed his gun once again. He pointed it at Bobby's head. "That was a nice try. It's a pity you wouldn't join me all those years ago. Together we could have been unstoppable."

Once again, he was just about to shoot, when a dozen voices rang out in the hallway and the room was filled with police a second later.

"Drop the gun!" one of them ordered, "Now!"

Bengalaz looked at them and then back at Bobby on the floor. He debated between shooting Bobby and possibly being killed himself…or dropping the gun and losing all-together.

He suddenly snarled and whirled back at Bobby, fully intent on shooting his rival—even if it meant dying himself. A shot rang out…but it wasn't from his gun. Bengalaz's body jolted suddenly, and he looked down to see blood oozing out of a hole in his chest. A look of confusion crossed his face, and he looked up to find Jack on his feet and holding a derringer in his hand.

"You killed me." He mumbled at Jack, blood dribbling out of his mouth and down his chin. "You killed me." A second later, he was on the floor, dead.

Cliff looked at Jack in bewilderment. _How did he get a gun? _He then thought back about an hour or two earlier when they were in the basement for the last time,

_A loud noise from upstairs caught their attention, and Trey's face suddenly looked panicked. He gripped Jack's arm tightly and lowered his voice even more. "Listen to me…you two are running out of time. You both need to get out of here—and fast."_

_Jack's breathing increased, "What are you talking—"he stopped when the cold metal of a derringer was pushed into his hand. _

_"Take this—use it only if you have to." Trey whispered, his voice_ _shaking._

Cliff smiled. It was all over.

**Well...only one more chapter left after this. woot woot! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well, this is the last chapter. I'm not quite sure what you guys will think of it. Maybe I went too far? Did I wrap up all the loose ends? Hopefully, I did. Anyways…here it is. **

**Also…GuestTypePerson mentioned that he thought Bobby seemed out of character. Is this true? Does anyone else think this? Hmmm…**

**Thank you to tearsxsolitude, MagnusSpark, and juniper294 for your guys' constant reviews. They really encouraged me to keep writing. Also thank you to flowers8 and GuestTypePerson for yours as well. **

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Fighting. Screaming. Gunshot. Blood. Silence. It all happened so fast, yet at the same time, time felt as if it was in slow motion. Jack barely had time to blink before Bengalaz was dead on the floor. He still held the gun in his hand, staring at the still body on the floor before him—his face void of any emotion whatsoever.

Next, everyone was talking at once. Jerry was shouting at a cop, who still had his gun trained on the brothers; Angel was mumbling to himself about how his favorite shirt that he was currently wearing had been ripped, and Bobby, after straightening himself up, began explaining the situation to the chief-of-police that had shown up at the scene.

Jack, however, was staring at Trey, an even more confused look on his face. He lowered his eyes a little as the bruised man slowly approached him. But when Trey reached him, he didn't say a thing—only stared bleakly at him, as if he was trying desperately to read Jack's expression.

"Hey," Cliff's said, as he joined the two, "It was you who called the police, wasn't it?" he looked at Trey, his eyes full of questions.

"Yeah…right after you two left the basement. I barely had time to give them our location before I was caught." His eyes averted to Jack. "I guess I owe you an explanation."

Jack stiffened. "Or two…."

"I'll leave you guys alone," Cliff said. He looked at Fox, who was huddled in a corner of the room, momentarily forgotten over the intense conversations amid the room. "I have someone I need to go see myself." With that, he left the group, heading over to his brother.

They both watched as Fox opened his eyes when his brother sat down next to him. The two brothers both shared a long, silent look and then embraced each other. Jack thought he saw a tear slide down Cliff's face, but he couldn't be sure.

"So, I—" Trey started, but was cut off mid-sentence.

"I have to go," Jack interrupted, starting to walk away.

"No, wait!" Trey grabbed his arm in a feeble attempt to prevent him from leaving.

Jack winced as his bruised arm ached from the other man's hold. "Let me go. You're hurting me."

"Hey, asshole!" Bobby's voice suddenly rang out from right behind them. "If you value your pathetic life in any way, you'll let go of my little brother." His voice was low and he was clenching and unclenching his fists, as if he was going to strike the man at any moment.

Trey softened his grip but didn't let go. "Brother? He's my son!"

"You abandoned him when he was four—you gave up your right to call him your son."

Trey faltered slightly, "I had a very good reason for what I did, of which I will explain if you'll just listen to me for five minutes." He turned pleading eyes on Jack.

Jack shook his head. A tear slipped from his eye and trickled down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away and sniffled. "No…just no." He yanked his arm out of Trey's firm, yet gentle hold, and walked over to Bobby.

Bobby's glare never left the older man as Jack headed over to him. He laid a reassuring hand on his arm and gave a soft squeeze, unnoticeable to anyone else. "Come on, Cracker Jack."

They both turned to leave but were met with a dozen questions from the police. The chief listened to their stories and got their statements, asking a dozen questions. Other officers were snapping pictures of the crime scene, while others collected evidence. The remaining thugs were handcuffed, taken outside, and put in separate squad cars.

Cliff held his brother in his arms for several minutes and then leaned over to check Fox's gunshot wound. He frowned when he touched it gently and Fox winced. "Man…what did they do to you?"

Fox shook his head, sweat trickling down his face and his eyes half-lidded with pain. "What have they done to _you_?" He reached out a hand and weakly examined the many bruises on Cliff's face and arms. His brother had changed so much within the last two years that he felt like he had been gone for so much longer. He was no longer a boy, but a man now. His features were much more chiseled and he was taller. However, Fox noticed that he was extremely thin and obviously malnourished, making him wonder when his brother last ate. The very thought that he was tortured and locked up for two years made him boil with anger. "Are you sure you're okay?" he placed a hand on the side of his brother's face.

"Yeah…I'm gonna be okay. How did you guys find us anyway?"

Fox shifted on the floor and groaned in pain, "Bobby knew where to look." He grinned slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I-I'm so glad we found you. I thought you were d-dead." His voice cracked slightly, and Cliff could see he was getting weaker. "I-I couldn't have…" he blacked out then, slumping against the wall, his head lolling off to the side.

"Somebody help!" he shouted, "We need an ambulance over here!"

Jack winced when the nurse took care of the cigarette burn on his neck. He cast a sideways glance at Bobby, who was leaning up against the wall in one of the hospital rooms, a furious look on his face.

"So," he cleared his throat, "What were you doing at the party that night?" he asked.

The question startled Bobby, and the angry look left his face for a moment. "I was there to bring you home. I heard you leave the house that night and naturally I had to go after you. I bumped into Bengalaz and kind of suspected something was up. Then…after the explosion…I saw them take you." He crossed his arms, "I tried to get to you…but I couldn't."

"It wasn't your fault, Bobby. I shouldn't have snuck out."

Bobby sighed, "Well, after that, I paid a little visit to one of your 'friends' and got him to do some talking. We had a nice, informative conversation. Then…well, the pieces kind of started fitting together. I knew about that house, only I wasn't expecting it to, well, have been changed so much. The place looked like it was right out of a fucking horror movie."

"Yeah, I know," Jack nodded. "Is Fox gonna be okay?" he asked, changing the subject. He had had enough about that house and Bengalaz for one night.

Bobby nodded solemnly. "Yeah, he's stable. They managed to get the bullet out but he's lost a lot of blood. The doc said he will be staying here for a few days so he can keep an eye on him and make sure his wound doesn't get infected. He just needs to rest for awhile. He also has Cliff watching over him now as well—he'll make sure he gets the rest he needs."

Cliff had also been thoroughly examined by a physician and the doctor had reported multiple bruises and lacerations. Almost every place on the boy's body was discolored and looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to him. There was also suspicious bruising in other places as well, but Cliff had adamantly refused to go into it.

After Jack was completely cleaned up, the doctor said he was free to go. When the two of left the room and stood in the hallway, Bobby suddenly pulled Jack in for a hug. "I'm glad I found ya, man." He whispered in his ear.

Jack nodded, silently conveying that he agreed with him. "I knew you'd find me…one way or another."

Bobby let him go and took a step back, "Of course…you're my brother…a Mercer. No one fucks with a Mercer and lives to tell about it."

Jack just smiled feebly.

"Come on, let's go. Angel and Jerry are waiting in Fox's room."

The two headed down the hall and into room 215. When they pushed open the door with a loud creak, they saw Fox lying in bed, attached to multiple cords and tubes. His face was extremely pale and his shoulder was bandaged. The familiar beeping on the heart monitor could be heard in the room and was somewhat unsettling. Everyone was crowded around the bed, murmuring to one another quietly.

When the door opened though, they all looked up.

"Jack!" Jerry exclaimed, walking over to him. He gave him a quick hug and patted him on the back.

"We missed ya man," Angel said, following Jerry's suit.

"Me too," Jack smiled wanly. His eyes turned to Fox and shot him a grateful yet sorrowful look. He headed over to the side of the bed and sighed. "I'm sorry, Fox."

Fox shook his head and took a deep breath, "Not your fault."

"It kind of is, actually."

No one said anything, and the room was quiet for several minutes—everyone staring at nothing in particular, each person wrapped up in their own thoughts.

"Want me to grab you anything to eat from the cafeteria?" Jack asked Fox.

Fox shrugged, "Some jell-o would be nice." He smiled at him.

"Okay, I'll be back in a minute," he got up to leave but stopped when Cliff headed for the door as well.

"I'll come with you. It's been awhile since I've had some good food." He instantly regretted his words when he saw Fox tense in anger. He sighed, "Let's go."

Jack just nodded and the two left the room, closing the door softly behind them. They walked down the hall slowly, neither uttering a word. When they were almost at the cafeteria, Jack stopped to look out a window. It was almost completely dark out and it was raining heavily. He sighed and turned to leave, when his eyes passed over a figure standing in the middle of the parking lot about twenty feet away. He gasped softly and touched the window with one hand.

"What is it?" Cliff asked, joining him.

"It's Trey…my father."

Cliff squinted out into the darkness. "Yeah, sorry about that, man. He made me promise never to say a word. He told me after the first year I was there or so. I'm not quite sure why. I guess he knew I was a friend of yours or something." When Jack didn't say anything, he continued. "You should go talk to him."

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?"

Jack leaned his head against the window, "That man is the reason for all the problems I had to deal with when I was younger. If he had never abandoned me, I wouldn't have been placed in all those foster homes…I wouldn't have had to go through all I did. If he loved me, he never would have left me."

"You don't know that. Just talk to him…please." Cliff practically begged, and Jack briefly wondered why he cared so much.

Jack sighed, "Wait here…wave if Bobby comes or anything. He'll be pissed if he sees me talking to him."

Cliff nodded and Jack left, hurrying down the hall and out the sliding glass doors. He took a deep breath and walked outside into the pouring rain. He ambled over to Trey, who was hunched over and staring at nothing in particular.

"What are you doing here?" Jack called out, walking up to him.

Trey whirled and a hopeful look passed across his face for a second. "Jack…hey. I wanted to see how you guys were doing...but I couldn't seem to bring myself to go in."

"Why do you even care?" Jack demanded, "You left me! Why start now?"

"Trust me, Jack. I loved you very much—I still do—but I had to leave you. I got involved with the wrong people—people that threatened to take you away from me if I didn't do as they asked. So, I did the only thing I could to keep you safe…I left you at the adoption center with just your first name, nothing else…or anything that they could trace you with. I did what I had to do to protect you—and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life." His face was wet, but Jack couldn't tell whether he was crying or if it was from the rain.

"There were other ways," Jack said quietly.

"I wasn't thinking rationally…I was scared out of my mind. And then about four years ago, I got involved with Bengalaz. He offered me a deal. Work for him and he would get rid of the men that were after me."

"Men that were after you?"

Trey sighed, "I had debts that I owed them that I couldn't pay. But Bengalaz took care of it. At first I thought he was a cool guy…but now…I'm glad he's dead. Two years ago, he sent me after you. I had no idea who you were back then…but I knew something was definitely familiar about you. So, I looked into a few things...and I was finally able to figure out who you were. When Bengalaz sent me to kidnap you, I couldn't do it. So, I sent another guy out with a fake description…and he came back with Cliff." He shook his head, "I never meant for anything bad to happen. That's why I begged for them not to kill Cliff. The kid grew on me, and I knew he was a friend of yours."

Jack sighed. It was still raining heavily and by now both of them were completely drenched. Jack was shivering and he wrapped his arms around himself to try and keep warm.

Trey took a step closer. "I never meant to hurt you. I love you." His voice cracked with those last words, and Jack could see clearly that he was crying now. "When I found out it was you…I was so overjoyed that you were alright. A day never went by that I didn't think about you or regret what I did."

Jack shot a glance at Cliff, who was still in the window and now waving frantically. His eyes widened. Someone must have come to find out what was taking so long. "I've got to go," he said. He flinched slightly in surprise when Trey suddenly pulled him into a hug.

"I love you, son." He told him, clutching him furiously.

Jack couldn't stop the tears from springing to his eyes. It would be so easy to walk away and never forgive his father for leaving him all those years ago. But his father had done it out of love, not hate. Anyone could plainly see the love Trey held for him in his eyes. "I think I forgave you a long time ago," Jack said quietly. When he finally pulled back, he looked back up at the window and his eyes grew wide when he saw Bobby standing there, watching them with a furious look on his face.

Trey followed his gaze and frowned slightly. "I have to go now."

"Go where?"

"Away, unfortunately. There are still people out there who would love to see me or anybody associated with me dead."

Jack shook his head, "No, no…they wouldn't know who I am."

"They wouldn't have to. If I was even seen around you, the consequences would be deadly." He gave him a regretful look, "This is why I was hoping you would never find out. I never even meant to say anything in the first place—it just kind of came out."

Jack grabbed his arm, "I just found you…I don't want to lose you again."

"I'm so sorry, son."

Jack just shook his head, unable to speak. He couldn't believe his father was walking out on him again.

"I love you…and I'll be watching over you—just remember those two things. It will only be for a little while…until I can straighten things out. Then I'll be back for you." He attempted a small smile and gave Jack another hug. "Goodbye, son." With one last look, he slowly started walking away.

Jack didn't hold back the tears anymore—he simply let them fall freely. He wrapped his arms around his now freezing body. His clothes were soaked through and sticking to his body, and he started shivering violently. However, he made no move to go inside, and instead only stood there, watching his father finally get in a car that had been parked close by…and drive away. When the car had pulled out of the parking lot, and was finally out of sight, Jack turned, only to find Cliff standing right behind him.

"Well, t-that was short-lived," Jack mumbled, his teeth chattering slightly.

Cliff shrugged, "I dunno…something tells me he's gonna be back." He smiled slightly, "Come on, let's go inside." He laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, guiding him back towards the entrance of the hospital.

Jack sighed, anticipating the lecture he was going to receive from Bobby. He could already see his oldest brother, standing just inside with a glare on his face. However, it seemed to soften when he saw Jack's face, and instead just gave him a pat on the back when the two met.

"Let's go home," Bobby said quietly, giving Jack's shoulder a firm squeeze.

Jack smiled, casting on last look back outside, "Yeah…let's do that. I'm dying to play my guitar again—I feel like it's been ages." He started to walk down the hall towards Fox's room to get his brothers.

"Oh, no you don't, ya little fairy," Bobby protested loudly, "That racket keeps me up till all hours of the night."

"Racket? It's called music. It's really quite peaceful, you should try it sometime."

"Oh really? Well, you listen to me now…I ain't gonna hear that all night. It sounds like something's dyin' in there."

Jack just grinned, walking further away, glancing back at Bobby to see him following closely behind, still rattling on. He chuckled slightly. _Home, sweet, home._

The End

**Well, that's it...hopefully ya'll liked it. Until next time...**

**-Rebekah**


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